ralift may travel here with exquifite pleafure and profit; the former will find treasures of infcriptions, and inedited monuments appertaining to the warlike nations, that once covered the face of the country: the natural philofopher will have a noble field for obfervation in the ftupendous monuments that rife on all fides. Monte-corno and Majella are among the most interefting; the firft is like an aged monument of nature, bald, and horribly broken on every afpect; from various appearances, it is evident that its bowels contain many valuable veins of metallic ore, but the great difficulty of accefs renders the fearch of them almost impracticable. Majella has other merits, and of a gayer kind;-nature has clothed its declivities and elevated fields with an infinite variety of her most precious plants; vulnerary herbs grow there in as great perfection as on the Alps of Swizzerland, and are applied by the natives to wounds with equal fuccefs. and fine, but even this is going to decay, by being abandoned entirely to the ignorance of common workmen. It is not to be expected that any improvements will be made in arts and manufactures, where the encouragement and attention of fuperiors is wanting, and no pains taken to render the commodity more marketable, or to open better channels of fale for it. The only advantages thefe provinces enjoy are the gift of benevolent nature; but the has ftill greater prefents in ftore for them, and waits only for the helping hand of government to produce them. This whole coaft, one hundred miles in length is utterly deftitute of fea-ports; and the only fpots where the produce can be embarked are dangerous inconvenient roads, at the mouths of rivers, and along a lee-fhore: the difficulty of procuring thipping, and of loading the goods, frequently caufes great quantities of them to rot on hand, which damps induftry and prevents all improvements in agriculture. The husbandman is a poor difpirited wretch, and wretchednefs produces emigration; the uneven furface of the country occafions it to be inhabited by retail, if I may ufe the expreffion, rather than in large maffes, for there is not a city that contains ten thousand people, and the most of them would find it difficult to mufter three thousand. Villages, caftles, and feudatory eftates are to be met with in abundance, but the numbers of their inhabitants are to be reckoned by hundreds, not thousands; in a word, the political and focial fyftem of the province fhews no figns of the vigour which nature fo remarkably difplays here in all her operations. The antiquary and the natu "The character of the inhabitants varies a little among themfelves, according to fituation and climate, but effentially from the difpofition of the natives of the more fouthern provinces. This proceeds from a difference of origin; for the Lombards, who were barbarians, but not cruel; poor, but hofpitable; endowed with plain honeft sense, though poffeffed of little acuteness or fubtlety; remained peaceable proprietors of thefe mountainous regions, till the Normans, who were accustomed to a fimilar climate, came, and difpoffeffed them. The Greeks, who retained almost every other part of the kingdom under their dominion, never had any fway here. For this reason the Abruzzefi N 3 Abruzzefi ftill bear a great refemblance to their northern progenitors or masters: to this day. one may trace in them the fame goodness of heart, but great indolence, and repugnance to lively exertions, a fault that proceeds rather from a want of, activ virtue, than a difpofition to wickedness. Hence it comes that in thefe provinces, where the proxi impunity, fewer atrocious and inmity of the frontier almoft infures other parts of the realm Remhuman deeds are heard of, than in exifted here fo late as the beginning nants of ancient northern cufioms of this century, and among the mountaineers, very evident traces of the Frank and eutonic languages may be difcovered." THE Retrospective view of the general affairs of Europe from the year 1780.Emperor. Great schemes of reform and regulation. Some general obfervations on them. Decree for extending the liberty of the prefs. Decree in favour of the Jews. Ordinances friking at the authority of the court of Rome. Oftenf.ble causes, and political motives, for the Emperor's journey to the Low Countries in the year 1781. Ill confequences of the war in which Holland was engaged, and of the new political fyftem adopted by that republic. Refumption of the Dutch Barrier among the principal objects of the Emperor's journey. Obfervations on that measure. Barrier refigned, and the fortreffes dismantled. Alarm occafioned thereby in Holland. Great benefits derived by the Auftrian Netherlands, from becoming the medium of British commerce, in confequence of the war between the maritime powers. Sudden rife of Oflend to commercial importance through the fame caufe. Great favours conferred by the Emperor upon the city and people of Offend. Declares the post free; orders a bason to be conftructed; grants ground for building to foreign fettlers; and places of public worship to the proteftants. Empror examines the obstructions 10 the navigation of the Schelde, and vifits Holland. Returns to Vienna.Various wife and bumane regulations adopted in the course of the years 1781 and 17 2. Enlargement of religious liberty to the proteflants-of civil Liberty to the peasants of Bohemia, Moravia, Silefia, and Auftrian Poland, who are difcharged from their ancient flavery to the lords. Free exercife of their religion, with other advantages, granted by the Elector of Saxony to the roman catholics in bis dominions. Inquifition abolijhed by N+ the the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Universities reformed by the Empero 1. CHA P. II. Alarm at Rome. Cor- Retrospective view continued. State of the great powers on the borders of Europe Ruffians. Ruffians. Former Khan abdicates his throne, and assigns bis dominion and country to the empress of Ruffia; who iffues a manifefto affigning the causes for her annexing the Crimea, Cuban, and isle of Taman 10 her empire.Manifefto from the Porte in anfwer. Notwithstanding the immenfe preparations and immediate appearances of war, negociations for a peace are carried on at Conftantinople under the mediation of France. In the height of the troubles the navigation of the Danube is opened to the emperor, two of whofe fbips are received at Belgrade, and prosecute their voyage to the Black Sea. Ottoman difficulties and enemies multiplying on all fides. Appearances on the fide of Venice. Troubles in Egypt. Perfians attack Baffora. Prince Heraclius invades Natolia. Treaty of commerce between Ruffia and the Porte is followed by a new treaty of accommodation between the two empires, which is concluded at Conftantinople in the beginning of the year 1784. Accommodation with the emperor. Spanish expedition against Algiers. Earthquakes in Calabria and Sicily. CHA P. III. [21 Recapitulation of the proceedings in parliament relative to the affairs of the Eaft India company. Two Indian committees appointed by the House of Commons in 1781. Objects of the select committee. Objects of the fecret committee. The King's approbation of their proceedings. Reports of the Secret committee brought to the house April 1782. Account of Mr. Dundas's Speech on that occafion. Lays three fets of refolutions on the table: Firft fer, relative to the general misconduct of the company's affairs-poftponed :— Second fet, relative to the conduct of the prefidency of Madras-voted:Third fet, containing criminal charges against Sir Thomas Rumbold—voted. Bill of pains and penalties. Proceeding therein. Bill loft. Confideration of the firft fet of refolutions refumed. Refolution against Mr. Haflingsvoted. Conduct of the court of proprietors on that occafion. Proceedings of the felect committee. Refolutions voted. Vote against Sir Elijah Impey.— King's Speeches at the clofing and opening of the feffions. [45 Meeting of parliament towards the clofe of the year 1783. King's Speech.Addresses voted unanimously. Two India bills brought in by Mr. Fox.Subftance of the bill for wefting the affairs of the company in commissioners. Subftance of the bill for the better government of the territorial poffeffrons. Debates on the bills. Objections and replics-1ft. of charters———— plea of neceffity - magnitude of abuses — ftare of finances — company's government in India — independent powers-allies and dependents — territorial poffeffions-abuses curable-court of proprietors-court of directors -minijlers of the crown. ad Objection. The dangerous powers and influence created by the bills. Answer to this objection. First India bill carried up to the House of Lords. Rumours of the king's dislike of the bill. Majority |